Briefing on UN activities: Week of November 26th- 30th 2007
United Nations Committee Further Empowers Pro-Abortion CEDAW Panel
FL Abortion Practitioner Loses License for Illegal Late-Term Abortion
KY Abortionist Arrested For Fraudulent Billing
Late-Term Abortion Practitioner Tiller Faces January Grand Jury
Israel Pro-Life Group Helps Pregnant Women in Crisis Situations
Sperm Donor Forced to Pay Child Support After Lesbian Couple Separate
Keyhole Surgeons Save Babies in Womb...
GLOBAL WARNINGS: Not Enough Parking for Private Jets Going to UN Climate Conference
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2007/11/23/not-enough-parking-private-jets-going-un-climate-conference
Faith in a Climate of Fear - global warnings: part 1
http://ncregister.com/site/article/7341
Why melting of ice sheets 'is impossible'
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=73f39d90-644f-4117-880c-204c3a4fe4a3
Climate change: The deniers
http://communities.canada.com/nationalpost/blogs/posted/pages/climate-change-the-deniers.aspx
UK AIDS Rate Third Highest in Europe
LONDON, November 26, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA) has issued a report saying that the HIV/AIDS crisis is ongoing among British homosexuals. The AIDS rate among British homosexuals rose 13 per cent in the last year according to recent statistics. This places Britain third in the rate of infection among European countries.
A media release from the HPA says 73,000 adults are living with HIV in the UK, and of these, 7,093 people were diagnosed in 2006. 3,295 people were receiving treatment in 2006.
Dr. Valerie Delpech, Head of HIV surveillance at the Agency said, "We are still seeing high levels of HIV transmission in gay men in whom we anticipate that there will have been just over 2,700 new diagnoses of HIV infection in 2006."
A regularly appearing theme in writing on the subject by AIDS activists is that HIV/AIDS is as easily transmissible among the "straight" population as among homosexuals. The response on the FAQ page of the website of Avert, an AIDS organisation based in Horsham, West Sussex, to the question, "Who is most affected by HIV/AIDS in the UK?" downplayed the predominance of HIV/AIDS among homosexuals.
It said, "Of the estimated 33,600 heterosexuals, some 20,200 (60%) were women. The male to female ratio of HIV diagnoses made before 1989 was more than 10 to 1, whereas in 2005 the ratio for new diagnoses was around 3 male to 2 female."
To the question, "How are gay men in the UK affected by HIV and AIDS?" the response said blandly, "HIV is transmitted more easily through sex between men than it is through heterosexual sex."
"For this reason and others...gay men and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in the UK face a proportionately higher risk of HIV infection than other groups, even though heterosexuals now account for a greater number of new diagnoses."
But Delpech was more blunt, saying, "In recent years, we have seen steady increases in all sexually transmitted infections (STI), including HIV, in gay men and since 2003, the number of HIV diagnoses reported annually has consistently increased and exceeded the annual number of diagnoses throughout the 1980s and 1990s."
At the same time, the Terrence Higgins Trust, Britain's leading AIDS organisation, announced today that it is launching the second phase of its "anti-discrimination campaign". Alastair Irons, executive creative director at the charity marketing agency handling the campaign, said the problem of AIDS "is compounded by the myths that still prevail about HIV and AIDS, most of which lie at the root of the quite appalling discrimination some people face, and the stigma still attached to the illness."
Briefing on UN activities - November 19th to 23rd 2007
By Marie-Christine Houle
Official representative of NGO Campaign Life Coalition at the United Nations
TORONTO, Canada, November 26, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Two main items retained our attention at the UN last week. First, UNAIDS released its report "2007 AIDS epidemic update". Second, November 20th marked the 18th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child which is the guiding document used by UNICEF.
UNAIDS: 2007 AIDS Epidemic Update
Funding
UNAIDS has gathered enormous support over the past decade. Many UN agencies envy the attention it has received and quote it as an example of the momentum and support required to impact any given cause. Funding is crucial for any international endeavor taken on by a UN agency. Funding increases depending on the level of public support and the perceived number of people who would be impacted by a particular project or agency.
Reliability of Statistics
One would think that international agencies such as UNAIDS have developed a comprehensive process that insures reliable statistics. It seems this was not the case until this year. The opening statement of the report by UNAIDS states that "In 2007, advances in the methodology of estimations of HIV epidemics applied to an expanded range of country data have resulted in substantial changes in estimates of numbers of persons living with HIV worldwide. However the qualitative interpretation of the severity and implications of the pandemic has altered little."
The statement clearly demonstrates that UNAIDS fears its funding will be reduced proportionally to the greatly revised number of people infected. This also diminishes the credibility of reports produced by this UN agency. UNAIDS credits an in depth revision of the situation in India for the substantial reduction of estimations of the number of people infected with HIV/AIDS.
Impact of UNAIDS Programmes
The UN in general continuously attempts to insure wide access to sexual and reproductive rights (abortion and family planning). It strongly appears that UNAIDS' preferred method of distributing condoms is not the most effective way to reduce the number of HIV/AIDS infections. In fact, the Boston Gazette reported last week that one of UNAIDS top officials, Paul De Lay, director of evidence, monitoring, and policy for UNAIDS, said "the most significant reason for the decline in new infections in the hardest-hit areas in southern Africa appeared to be the increase of fidelity - more people were being faithful to one partner."
In Canada
The latest UNAIDS report attributes the largest portion of new cases in Canada to unprotected sex between men (45% in 2005 compared with 42% in 2002). It also mentions that "An estimated 37% of new HIV infections in 2005 were attributed to unprotected heterosexual intercourse, with a substantial proportion among people born in countries where HIV is endemic (mainly sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean)."
18th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
Negative Aspects of the CRC
The Convention is the main instrument used by UNICEF to promote the "wellbeing" of children worldwide. However, many aspects of the document, ratified by Canada in 1991, are of concern mainly because they demonstrate an anti-family, anti-life character.
For example, the document speaks of the right to privacy. According to the Convention, parents should not be allowed to read their children's mail as it constitutes a violation of the privacy of the child. This fails to acknowledge that one of the main responsibilities of parents is to ensure the safety of their children. The report briefly addresses the new challenges posed by the Internet and other communications technologies. There is an inherent contradiction in saying that parents should "work together with children and young people to promote safety and human rights", while the privacy clause strips away from parents the right to monitor their children's communications to ensure their safety.
In Canada
Last April, the Canadian Senate released a report titled "Children: The Silenced Citizen". The Senate makes some recommendations as to how the Canadian Government can best support children and provide them with a feeling of full citizenship. Last week, UNICEF Canada followed suit, producing a report titled "What's right for some". This document is aimed at presenting a portrait of Canada's first generation to grow under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Much of the document is focused on the inequalities experienced by First Nations children or by children who are in foster care. In the section covering health, sexual health is discussed in regard to HIV/AIDS and the average age at which girls and boys engaged in sexual activities. It appears boys are postponing their first sexual intercourse but the age at which girls engage in sexual intercourse has remained unchanged.
The findings could likely be used to push for even more harmful and confusing sex-ed in Canadian schools, as the report states that "knowledge about sexual health has also declined". Intensified discourse on "sexual and reproductive health" could soon find its way into our schools.
The section on health also covers breastfeeding. UNICEF Canada would like to see an increase in the number of mothers who practice sustained breastfeeding stating that it "is the best source of nutrition for babies, and has many other additional health and developmental benefits". Other UN agencies have been promoting breastfeeding worldwide not solely because of the health benefits to the child but rather because statistics show that women who breastfeed, tend to have fewer children since they are usually infertile during the breastfeeding period.
Some of the systemic recommendations made by UNICEF Canada include:
-Create an independent national Children's Commissioner appointed by and reporting to
Parliament
-Create enabling legislation to make the Convention enforceable in the courts; use the Convention as a guideline for any federal and provincial legislation and policies concerning or impacting children, with particular consideration of the principles of best interests of the child, evolving capacity of the child, and child participation.
The many flaws of the Convention should be addressed and rectified before the Canadian government takes action. The UN will be hosting a Commemorative high-level plenary meeting devoted to the follow-up to the outcome of the special session on children in early December. This should give the international community an opportunity to assess the success and failures of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
See related articles:
UN Finally Admits Worldwide AIDS Epidemic Greatly Overestimated
UNAIDS estimates now much lower but AIDS scientist says new figures still too high
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/nov/07112006.html
Detailed Warning about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
http://www.lifesite.net/waronfamily/unicef/homeschoolalert.html
Focus on the Family has called on governments to de-ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, calling it a danger to children, parents and national sovereignty.
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2001/jun/01060703.html
New UN Convention a Threat to Canadians
http://www.lifesite.net/waronfamily/unicef/newunconvention.html
Pro-Aborts Use Environmental Platform to Push an Anti-Life Agenda
Briefing on UN activities: Week of November 26th- 30th 2007 -- The following report contains a wide variety of topics. It should serve to demonstrate the interconnectivity of social spheres. The UN typically uses any means possible to impact policies that affect families.
* Climate Change
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
The UNFCCC is opening today in Bali. Scheduled to conclude on December 14th, the Conference could be used by pro-abortion groups to push an anti-family, anti-life agenda. Typically, the goals of the a large part of the environmental movement are at odds with those of the pro-life movement.
Many environmentalists believe that human beings are the main cause for what they see as the decline of the planet and therefore equate fewer humans with less damage to the environment. Pro-abortion and family planning organizations are utilizing the environmental platform as a way to promote their anti-life agenda.
Capitol Resource Institute reported last week that Planned Parenthood is currently co-sponsoring a campaign with the Sierra Club in California. The goal of the Global Population and Environment Program is to "protect the global environment and preserve natural resources for future generations by advancing global reproductive [code word for 'abortion'] and sustainable development initiatives." The Conference will be monitored closely. Please consult next week's UN report for the latest developments.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Human Development Report 2007/2008
The UNDP released its 2007/2008 Human Development Report on Tuesday, November 27th. The 399 pages long document is mostly centered on climate change, more precisely on the effects of climate change on the poorest countries and consequently, the responsibility of the developed world to commit to a solution.
The list of recommendations presented in the foreword calls for the integration of adaptation to climate change into all aspects of national planning. It also suggests that the preferred solution should "empower and enable vulnerable people to adapt to climate change by building resilience through investments in social protection, health, education and other measures."
The term "health" is always used loosely by UN agencies, allowing pro-abortion lobbyists to push for sexual and reproductive health. The document should generate a lot of discussion among international leaders. It will most likely be at the forefront of the discussion during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change mentioned above.
2008 Declared International Year of Sanitation
The UN estimates that 2.6 billion people in the world live without appropriate sanitation. Again many groups may grab this statistic and re-interpret it has meaning that the world is over-populated.
* HIV/ AIDS
Unite for AIDS concert in Montreal
It appears that people remain largely unaware of the fact that UNAIDS revised its estimates of the number of people affected by HIV/ AIDS as reported in last week in the LifeSiteNews UN briefing. Other UN agencies are attempting to revive popular support for the usual AIDS programs.
Last Wednesday, UNICEF and private enterprise groups co-sponsored a concert at the Bell Centre in Montreal. This type of events can contribute to public misinformation. It is a noble goal to want to stop the AIDS epidemic and the general public may not look beyond the general sentiment. People remain unaware that many UN initiatives to stop the spread of HIV/ AIDS involve some measures that are anti-family such as the distribution of condoms and explicit, amoral sex-ed programs.
Link between hunger, health and HIV/ AIDS
The Associated Press of Pakistan reported that the UN World Food Programme (WFP) released a report last week in an attempt to emphasize the connection between hunger, health and HIV/ AIDS. The report points out that people suffering from HIV/ AIDS who receive treatment are often undernourished and unable to absorb the benefits of the medications they receive. This new perspective may insure that donor countries remain committed to the still urgent cause despite the revised numbers published by UNAIDS. However the funds might still be used to promote anti-family programmes related to HIV/ AIDS.
* Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
Samantha Singson of C-FAM reported last Friday that the Third Committee of the General Assembly passed a resolution increasing the length and number of CEDAW meetings. Miss Singson explained that, in its concluding comments, the CEDAW Convention has often been used to try to "pressure countries into legalizing abortion". Many member states have expressed reservation to the Convention, giving them the opportunity to exclude themselves from some provisions of the Convention they may disagree with. The United States was the only country to vote against the resolution. For more information, click on the following link to access the full article by Samantha Singson: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/nov/07112912.html
* Special representative to the secretary general appointed by UN General Assembly to report on violence against children
Following the 18th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN General Assembly decided to engage a special representative to report on violence against children. In an article published on Merinews Power to People, Narendra Chaurasia said that over 1000 NGOs from around the world signed a petition calling for the appointment of this special representative. In the piece, Joe Becker of Human Rights Watch, a group promoting sexual and reproductive rights stated that "the special representative of the secretary-general will provide high level international leadership to confront this global curse."
Pro-life NGOs tend to oppose the appointment of such representatives as they are seen as more UN bureaucrats likely to oppose the efforts of the pro-life movement to defend life and the family at the UN. [3Dec07, Marie-Christine Houle, Toronto, LifeSiteNews.com]
UNITED NATIONS COMMITTEE FURTHER EMPOWERS PRO-ABORTION CEDAW PANEL. This week, the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly passed a resolution to give nearly $11 million more to the controversial committee that monitors the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). While the United States was the only country to vote against the resolution, several other delegations expressed concerns regarding particular provisions for the increased funding, the call to withdraw reservations to the treaty, as well as increasing the number and length of CEDAW committee sessions.
The nations that originally negotiated the treaty provided for only two annual sessions of the CEDAW committee to last no more than two weeks. The new resolution empowers the CEDAW Committee to meet for three annual sessions, effective from January 2010. The resolution also authorizes the CEDAW Committee to hold five sessions from 2008 to 2009 and extends the length of each meeting to a month, which includes a preparation week which pro-abortion groups use to lobby the committee. The cost of having additional meetings in Geneva and New York in 2008-2009 accounts for the increased funding. [3Dec07, S. Singson, LifeNews.com]
FL ABORTIONIST LOSES LICENSE FOR ILLEGAL LATE-TERM ABORTION. Florida abortion practitioner James Pendergraft has been fined $10,000 and will lose his medical license for one year over an illegal late-term abortion he did in 2005. That's the decision of the Florida Board of Medicine, which handed down the decision about the notorious abortion practitioner on Friday.
The board also will place Pendergraft's license on a three year probationary period following the suspension, but he plans to appeal the decision. The illegal abortions supposedly occurred at his Orlando centers in 2004 and 2005, but the Florida Board of Medicine threw out the charges related to the 2004 abortion. However, the board said Pendergraft failed to follow state laws on an abortion he did on a woman's baby who was about 27 to 28 weeks into the pregnancy. Florida only allows such late-term abortions to be done in a hospital and only with the certification from two physicians asserting that the woman's life is in danger from the pregnancy. [4Dec07, Orlando, FL LifeNews.com]
KY ABORTIONIST ARRESTED FOR FRAUDULENT BILLING: Faces up to 20 years in prison under the four count felony indictment. Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo has announced the indictment and arrest of Dr. Hamid Hussain Sheikh, a Lexington physician. According to the indictment, Sheikh, age 62, committed fraud by performing abortions and disguising patient visits as fetal ultrasounds for normal pregnancies, which he billed to Medicaid, the government health insurance program for the poor and disabled. The indictment also charged that Sheikh double-billed for the procedures, illegally accepting payments directly from his patients.
According to the indictment, Sheikh has engaged in the scheme continuously since 2004. (Click here for a copy of the indictment:
http://ag.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/58036F30-6701-46B9-BE5F-5CE406BCBB95/0/ kyvssheikh.pdf)
The investigation into Sheikh's activities began when staff of Kentuky's Fraud Investigation Support Team (FIST), who are trained in claims data analysis and computer forensics, recognized prescriptions issued by Sheikh that made up a "three drug cocktail" that would typically be prescribed after an abortion. This led the team to uncover the fraudulent claims.
In Kentucky it is illegal to bill Medicaid for any procedure related to abortion except in limited circumstances, such as if the woman’s life is in danger or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest. Attorney General Stumbo said additional charges are possible in view of the deplorable sanitary conditions found in Sheikh’s office.
Sheikh said his arrest was politically motivated and that anti- abortion protesters have picketed outside his clinic and harassed him for years. He maintains he has done nothing wrong, but has recently stopped billing Medicaid for the "ultrasounds" so the Kentucky Bureau of Investigation "would stop picking on me." [22Nov07, T. M. Baklinski, Lexington, LifeSiteNews.com]
LATE TERM ABORTIONIS TILLER FACES JANUARY GRAND JURY. George Tiller, the abortion practitioner accused to doing illegal late-term abortions at his Kansas abortion business, will face a grand jury hearing in January. News of the January 8 hearing date came on the heels of the state Supreme Court rejecting a request from his lawyers to stop it.
Retired Judge Paul Buchanan will oversee the grand jury process.
The Kansas Supreme Court issued a ruling Thursday saying a grand jury probe brought against late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller can continue.
Pro-life groups collected the signatures of thousands of state residents to use a state law allowing for grand jury probes in cases where local officials won't investigate. Tiller had asked the Kansas Supreme Court to order two district judges to refrain from impaneling the grand jury.
Tiller's attorneys say one reason the grand jury shouldn't begin its task of investigating whether or not he did numerous illegal late-term abortions over the years is because pro-life groups like Kansans for Life are behind the probe.
But the state's high court, in an order from Chief Justice Kay McFarland, says the grand jury can proceed and lifted the hold it had put on it previously.
“The stay of the grand jury proceedings is lifted and the motions to intervene are dismissed as moot,' McFarland wrote.
Mary Kay Culp, the director of Kansans for Life, which spearheaded the grand jury probe, told LifeNews.com she was happy with the decision.
She said the ruling was welcome because, "Groups formed by Tiller spent over a million dollars here influencing the last election and, soon after, charges against him were dropped."
"Today's decision means that for now, the law rules in Kansas, and for that we are very grateful -- grateful to the lawyers who filed our motion to intervene and our brief, and to the Kansas Supreme Court," Culp told LifeNews.com.
The grand jury probe is separate from charges Attorney General Paul Morrison has filed against Tiller.
Morrison says Tiller, one of a handful in the country to do abortions so late in pregnancy, has violated state law requiring a second physician to sign off on their validity.
Sedgwick County District Judge Clark V. Owens indicated he would rule within a few weeks on whether or not to grant a request from Tiller’s lawyers to dismiss the 19 charges.
Morrison said Tiller has violated the component of the state’s late-term abortion law requiring the abortion practitioner not to have a relationship with the second physician. Tiller uses a second doctor with whom he has a financial relationship.
Tiller’s lawyers are challenging the late-term abortion law saying the requirement for an independent second physician is unconstitutional and that it allegedly infringes on women's so-called abortion rights.
Related: Kansans for Life - http://www.kfl.org [3Dec07, Ertelt, LifeNews.com, Wichita, KS LifeNews.com]
ISRAEL PRO-LIFE GROUP HELPS PREGNANT WOMEN IN UNEXPECTED SITUATIONS. Be'ad Chaim is a pro-life organisation based in Israel, helping pregnant women who are in a crisis situation. The Christian magazine Cross Rhythms spoke with Sandy Shoshani to discuss the group's work. Be'ad Chaim have counselors in four different cities in Israel with a vision of opening two more offices. They are currently based in Jerusalem, Tiberius, Beersheba and Haifa. "When a woman calls she can ask any question she wants about pregnancy, about abortion information and the dangers of abortion and how to become pregnant. Anything that is relevant to an unborn child," Shoshani said. "Then we will invite her to our office to watch a DVD about baby development and do a free pregnancy test and ultrasound." Shoshani added: "During the pregnancy we will encourage her and be with her for support. After the birth we will offer her support with a project called Operation Moses. A family abroad is able to adopt a mother so we will provide that mother with a baby bed, a bath, a stroller, car seat, carry on chair, basically anything that the mother will need after her pregnancy including blankets and bottles." Israel sees about 40,000 abortions annually so the service is vitally needed. [3Dec07, Jerusalem, Israel (LifeNews.com]
SPERM DONOR FORCED TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT AFTER LESBIAN COUPLE SEPARATE. A London firefighter who donated his sperm to allow a lesbian couple to conceive is being forced to pay thousands of pounds in child support now that the couple has broken up.
Andy Bathie, 37, claims he was assured by the couple he would have no personal or financial involvement for the children, but has no legal grounds for the assurance because the donation did not go through a center licensed with the British Child Support Agency (CSA).
Bathie says he is in shock and anger, and that the costs of child support for the two children born from the donation will prevent him from being able to afford having children with his wife.
"I don't have any particular ill will," he said, "It's the fact that I still even now don't see why I should have to pay for another couple's children."
But UK law does not yet recognize that they are not Bathie's children. The law only tries to nullify the need for a biological father in the case of a licensed clinic, but ministers have drawn up reforms to the law giving equal parenting rights to same-sex couples who "marry."
A spokeswoman for CSA said: "Unless the child is legally adopted, both biological parents are financially responsible for their child - the Child Support Agency legislation is not gender or partnership based," said a spokeswoman for the CSA said.
Bathie has begun unprecedented court action to ensure he cannot be recognized as a legal parent to the children.
"I would never have agreed to this unless they had been living as a committed family," Bathie told the Evening Standard Newspaper. "And now I can't afford to have children with my own wife - it's crippling me financially."
Canadian Court OK's Ban on Active Homosexuals from Sperm Donation due to AIDS
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jan/07012903.html
Sperm Donor Fathers Children of Lesbian Couples Against His Request
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jul/06070501.html
KEYHOLE SURGEONS SAVE BABIES IN THE WOMB. A PIONEERING new form of keyhole surgery will be used to save the lives of dozens of unborn babies every year, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.
The remarkable technique involves a 'fetoscope' about the width of three grains of sugar which is used to internally examine babies while they are still in the womb.
The resulting images will allow Scottish doctors to perform surgical and other procedures on fetuses - many of whom would otherwise die - from as little as 24 weeks' gestation. At this point, the fetus would fit in the palm of an adult man's hand and probably only just be opening its eyes.
Operations using the £70,000 fetoscope will be performed by a team of experts at Scotland's national centre for diagnosing and treating pregnancy complications, the Department of Fetal Medicine at the Queen Mother's Hospital, Yorkhill, Glasgow.
The development, which makes the Glasgow centre the only one outside London to carry out the procedures, has been hailed by birth charities as "amazing".
One new procedure will correct abnormalities in the placenta that occur in twin pregnancies and result in one twin taking all the blood supply. Using the new scope and a laser, it will be possible to separate the blood vessels.
Dr Alan Cameron, a consultant in fetal medicine at the hospital, said: "We can diagnose and treat problems from a very early stage to late in pregnancy and we have been at the forefront of some tests and techniques.
"Fetoscopy is keyhole surgery using fibre optics to look at the baby directly. We have already bought the equipment to carry out the procedure and we are now hoping to get the service up and running.
"Currently mothers who need this procedure have to be sent to London."
Around 60 sets of twins develop twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome in Scotland every year. Both usually die. But guided by the new fetoscope, doctors will destroy blood vessels in the placenta that the twins share, allowing at least one twin to survive.
Another complication in fetuses is caused by a diaphragmatic hernia, which occurs when the diaphragm develops a hole and the lungs fail to develop properly. There are around 20 cases of this condition in Scotland every year and it is also likely to prove fatal.
In the new procedure, doctors will use the fetoscope to guide them as they insert a tiny balloon into the foetus's chest cavity, through its mouth, to allow the lungs to grow.
While mother and baby are sedated, doctors make an incision in the mother's abdomen and insert the 3mm wide fetoscope, which is like a tiny telescope. It goes into the womb, into the baby's mouth and down its throat. Images are relayed on to a screen in a way that is similar to any other keyhole surgery. Doctors also use the incision to insert instruments to carry out the procedures.
The techniques themselves carry a risk of miscarriage but that is only 1-2% compared with a mortality rate of at least 80% for the conditions if left untreated.
Fetoscopy is not a new technique and, in its primitive form, was the only way of examining babies before it was abandoned around 30 years ago with the advent of ultrasound. Subsequent advances in fibre optics and lightweight cameras mean the new fetoscopes can be used for detailed examination of potential problems flagged up using ultrasound.
Doctors at the Centre for Fetal Medicine already carry out a number of techniques to save babies' lives using traditional ultrasound and 3D ultrasound technology to guide them. Pregnant women from all over Scotland are referred to the centre. The team can diagnose conditions including cleft palate, heart and brain defects and problems with the gut.
The commonest procedures currently carried out at the hospital are blood transfusions on fetuses. In many cases these must be undertaken because the mother has the rare rhesus negative blood group which attacks the baby's blood, resulting in heart failure.
Blood transfusions can also be given to babies if the mother contracts the infection parvovirus, which can cause anaemia in the unborn child.
Each year around 20 babies' lives are saved with this procedure and the youngest baby to be treated was just 16 weeks gestation and 15cm long. At this stage of pregnancy the baby is so small many mothers have yet to even feel it kicking.
The team can also place 'shunts' in the baby's bladder or lung if it has developed abnormalities that prevent them draining fluid properly. Each year in Scotland five babies develop these defects in the womb and their mothers have to be sent to London to have the surgery.
Last night Dorothy Maitland, spokeswoman for the Lothian Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society, welcomed the development. She said: "This is marvellous news for parents and shows just how advanced this technology has become."
CASE STUDY
WHEN routine blood tests showed a problem with Kay Stembridge's pregnancy she was referred to the Centre for Fetal Medicine in Glasgow.
She had developed a rare condition caused by her blood type, rhesus negative. Her blood had begun to develop antibodies to her baby's blood, which could have led to a stillbirth.
She underwent three procedures to give her unborn baby blood transfusions. The amount of blood used in total was just 280ml but vital for her baby's survival.
Euan was born in July 2004 by a planned Caesarean and transferred to intensive care. After several further blood transfusions he is now a healthy three-year-old boy leading a normal life.
Stembridge, a midwife from Edinburgh, said: "I was in shock when we discovered we had a problem with Euan. But the doctors at the centre were amazing. I can't remember much about the procedure because I was sedated. It was a very worrying time for us.
"But it went well and when he was born he had more blood transfusions until all the antibodies from my blood were out of his system."
This article: http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1883462007
Last updated: 02-Dec-07
[http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1883462007
KATE FOSTER (
); Valko RN, 2Dec07]
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